Hill-Wood was the man to open an iconic era in 1996 when luring Wenger to England from Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight, with a relative unknown at that time having become a legendary figure in the coaching world.

“If he hung around people would have gotten upset and he would have undone an awful lot of the good work he has done in the last 20 years, which would have been very sad.”

There have already been plenty of protests against Wenger, a man who guided Arsenal to three Premier League titles, with Hill-Wood disappointed to have seen certain sections of the club’s fan base turn against a figure who has done so much for them down the years.

He said: “Human beings can be very weird and some of them do slightly lose their heads.”